Mad Planning
by Thy Coffee Lover
Summary: AU. Hallie's heart was beating a mile a minute. This was it; the chance to prove herself. All she had to do was keep her gender a secret and things should be right and peachy. Yeah, that shouldn't be too hard.


Warning: FemHarry/Tom Riddle is the main paring of the story. If this is not what you favor, then please retreat immediately. (Although I would suggest giving it a shot. The pairing, not this story. At least not for your first Harry/Tom pairing. I'm not that experienced yet. )

Also, as is in all stories dealing with alternate universes, certain people and events have been changed/added to conform with the plot. (And when I say certain, I mean more than two or three major details.) These changes/additions will be revealed in time; so patience is recommended. Thank you!

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Chapter 1: The Sort-of Prologue

This settles it; everyone has gone barking mad.

With Hallie it was expected. She was unpredictable; no one ever really knew what she was going to do or say next, and those around her have learned to just...hop on the train and go with it. Really, what else could anyone do once the fire had been lighted? Try and put it out? Logical conclusion, but that would be the same as trying to knock down a brick wall with a feather. It would never work. The best anyone could attempt to do was to _try_ and calm it down—the fire that is. And even then, chances were only slight.

Unless you were Lily, then that was another story. Being the mother to the unpredictable child had to have its perks, after all—probably the only reason why his visits to the then-Potter household had always been able to stay relatively calm.

Simple and point, life with Hallie was never normal. It was a fact of life Draco had quickly learned to grasp since meeting trouble's pupil that fateful day on the Hogwart's Express. And he was quite alright with that. Certainly made life interesting.

But, it becomes a problem when _absolutely no one_ sees fit to try and douse the flames! He and Hermione knew it was pointless. But that didn't mean everyone else should. Now, it meant they had to deal with the result: one big, raging inferno!

"And all because of one measly restriction…" Pinching the bridge of his nose, Draco laid his head back against the cushiony seat and sighed. "This is never going to work…"

Granted, there had been that time with the dragon back in their fourth year which he also thought would never have worked…but that was beside the point. They stopped being students a month ago; this was the real world, one where punishments were more than detentions and Quidditch bans. And Hallie's plan had _bloody stupid_ written all over it.

"I heard that Draco!"

Draco looked up towards the once-closed door where the now short-haired Hallie came walking out of. And by Merlin, without any length to weigh it down anymore, Hallie's hair looked more like a crow's nest than actual hair; her raven-colored locks seemed to stand on end like blades of grass. Yet, it didn't stop Draco from thinking how much it fit, almost like Hallie was always meant to have short hair. Fit that rebellious nature of hers perfectly.

Standing, Draco walked over to Hallie and pinched a wayward tress of her hair between his fingers, examining the phenomena. Hallie wrinkled her nose in annoyance, but Draco paid it no mind.

"Quite frankly, I'm insulted by your lack of confidence," Hallie whispered. Wouldn't do to have Daphne figuring out they were up to something, if it weren't already obvious. "I actually spent time planning this one."

Draco sent Hallie an exasperated look. Really, how many times would they have to go through this? "For the last time Hallie, a week of moping around—and don't look at me like at because that's exactly what you were doing—until Hermione and I finally got through that thick skull of yours to get you to respond does not count as planning." Draco emphasized that last word by putting manicured finger quotes on it.

"It so does!" Hallie said with glaring green eyes. "It might not have looked like it, _Draco_, but I was actually doing a lot of thinking during that time."

Draco snorted, crossing his arms. "A new experience for you, I'm sure…"

Although contrary with what he'd said before, Draco had to admit by some miracle Hallie had actually managed to pull off a half-way descent plan. He was never going to tell her that of course; he still wasn't too sure the plan would work all way through to the end. But at least _a_ plan had been formed, which was a definite improvement from previous years. At least this time it gave something for him and Hermione to work with.

Hallie said something else, but Draco chose to ignore it as Daphne finally stepped out of Hallie's bedroom, an accomplished glint to her eyes. He would feel that way too if he had been the one to hack away at the famous lion's mane.

"Impressive work," he said.

"Why thank you, Draco," Daphne said proudly, flicking a lock of her long, pale-blond hair over her shoulder. "This new cut fits her brilliantly. Merlin, all those years… you should have accepted my request sooner, Hallie!"

Draco remembered those times. Daphne had habit of trying to fix other people's hair, from giving it a new cut or simply finding a new way to style it. But she had never been able to tame Hallie's—the owner was never very approving due to a lack of patience.

Hallie pulled away from Draco with a narrowing glare. "At least it'll no longer be in my way," she said with a nonchalant shrug before walking away from the wide seating area where they were standing.

Daphne shared a look with Draco. "Hallie, sweetie, please," Daphne said, placing a hand over her heart. "I know it was a big change…but don't you go killing us with remorse now."

Draco shouldered a short laugh as both he and Daphne followed after Hallie into the kitchen. Entering, he quickly spotted Hermione in front of the sink, who glanced over at them once she heard their approach. And by the looks of it, she was in the process of making coffee. Draco scrunched his nose up in distaste as he went to stand beside her. Personally, Draco preferred tea, but since Hallie never had any, being the coffee addict that she was, if he wanted anything remotely similar, he had to settle for the black, bitter liquid.

"Don't make that face, Draco," Hermione said as she finished with the coffee. She smiled knowingly. Alright, so coffee wasn't all that bad. As a side thought, he really should pat himself in the back for a job well done in choosing this apartment for Hallie. The lighting here was amazing—really brought out Hermione's eyes.

Hallie took a seat by the small table in middle of the kitchen, and Hermione regarded her with an assessing look. "Nicely done, Daphne."

"Oh, yeah, thanks Daphne!" Draco could only sigh. Apparently the idiot extraordinaire had also forgotten to thank their friend for her kind generosity.

But Daphne only smiled. "My pleasure, Hallie, even though I still don't why you suddenly had a change of heart." Daphne looked over at Hermione and Draco. "I don't suppose either of you will be willing to tell me, right?"

This was true. The friends they'd asked favors from…they were all well aware of the wild stunts Hallie was capable of—all who attended Hogwarts in the last seven years were well aware. And each of them had asked. But only when the situation had called for it had they actually revealed the true extent of Hallie's plan; so only a select few of their friends knew about the entirety of it, which was how they planned to keep it. The less who knew, the better.

The look on their faces was probably enough to give them away for Daphne sighed and gave them resigned smile. "Thought so." Worried blue orbs stared back at the three of them. "Just...promise me you'll be careful…please." The three of them shared a glance. They really had wonderful friends.

Hallie smirked.

"Of course, Daphne. When aren't we?"

#

Soon, it was time for Daphne to go. And Hallie, as usual, was the one with the problem. "You're not staying for coffee?" Because, of course, only she would find the thought ludicrous. Refusing coffee to her was like turning down a spot on the national Quidditch team.

Daphne laughed, catching the disbelief in Hallie's voice and already familiar with the way her mind worked. "I appreciate the offer, Hallie, but I have an appointment with Madame Malkin in ten minutes, and it wouldn't do to miss my appointment, especially at this time of the year."

"Why? What's happening?"

"What's happening?" Daphne slammed a hand down on the table, brow scrunched up and lips twisting into a frown. "What do you mean 'what's happening'? The Minister's Ball Hallie, that's what's happening."

Draco blinked; he had completely forgotten about it. He wondered why he hadn't heard from his mother yet; she was usually very punctual about such events, especially one as important as the Minister's Ball. Then again, as a boy, preparation shouldn't take longer than a week.

"The Minister's Ball? Oh, that's the thing that goes on every four years, right?" Hallie smiled almost maniacally as she accepted a cup of coffee from Hermione. "Waste of time, if you ask me."

Truthfully, anything that required Hallie to wear a dress or look anywhere remotely girly was a waste of time to her, which was a shame really. The last time anyone had seen Hallie in a dress was during the Yule Ball back in their fourth year, and _everyone_ had been shocked speechless. The idiot Gryffindor cleaned up surprisingly well.

"Waste of time?" Daphne looked practically offended. "Hallie, did I not explain to you the importance of it back in fourth year? It's only _the_ event of every social elite's life! And now that we're all of age, you, as the Potter heiress, should most definitely not think of it as a waste of time. Have you even picked out the color of your dress?"

Hallie simply sipped at her coffee.

Daphne sighed despondently. "Hallie, the ball is just a month away…"

"Stop wasting your time, Daphne," Draco said, grunting as he rummaged through one of the kitchen cupboards. "You know how she is. Just leave it to us. Hallie, where the _hell_ did you put the sugar?""

Contrary to how confident he sounded, Draco actually had no idea how they were going to get Hallie to that ball. She had the tendency to be _really_ stubborn when she wanted to. And this ball really was a big deal. He should probably contact his mother as soon as possible; she and Hallie were practically cut out of the same cloth—getting people to do what they wanted was their specialty.

Why had Hallie been sorted into Gryffindor again?

Hallie snorted amusedly. "Sugar? For what?" Draco almost turned around and strangled the Gryffindor—really, why? Just because she drank her coffee black didn't mean he had to as well. But, oh, did she enjoy making his life unbelievably frustrating.

"Hallie!"

"Top shelf, to the right."

He found the sugar just as Hermione was able to catch the worried expression of Daphne's face and walked over to place a placating hand on Daphne's shoulder. "It'll be fine, Daphne."

Daphne looked completely unsatisfied but said nothing else on the matter. Shortly after, she left, and they all politely bid her farewell. Then, finally, it was just the three of them seated around the table in Hallie's kitchen.

Pale blue met brown as Draco switched his gaze over to Hermione. "Everything's set then?"

Hermione nodded. He still wondered sometimes how she was able to take this so calmly. "The vest is up and running as it should, just like Blaise said; the potion from Fred and George is ready, and Aldon recently gave me the okay with the paperwork; so everything's cleared on that end as well. All that's left is for Hallie to show up on the required day."

Draco nodded, honestly relieved. He and Hermione had been worried—as is always the case since Hallie is somehow incapable off feeling such emotion. The three of them together had come up with fake identity for Hallie, but with the Auror department's lengthy background checks, the chances of it passing successfully had been very slim. But thankfully Aldon—whose father was an Auror and was currently working for said father within the department and was probably the only one capable of pulling this off—had come through.

And truthfully, not all of the information was fake; there had to be some truth to Hallie's soon-to-be identity, after all. If she was going to be using the disguise for the next three years, it was better if Hallie didn't have to constantly remember details about a life she had never lived.

Draco then turned towards the trouble brewer. "What about your mother, Hallie? Was Lily convinced with the explanation we came up with for the sudden move?" Because for the plan to continue working, Hallie's new alias has to live somewhere, right? Both can't live in the same house.

"Yes."

"Brilliant, then everything—"

"But I didn't use the explanation we came up with."

Draco and Hermione gave Hallie equal looks of confusion and wariness. This could either be really good or really bad. "Then…how did you convince her?" Hermione asked.

Hallie shrugged. "I just told her the truth. Explained everything to her last night."

"And she was perfectly alright with it?" Draco asked, dumbfounded.

Hallie nodded proudly, as if she had finally overcome some large hurdle. "I think Sirius has finally rubbed off on her—looked me right in the eye and wished me luck."

"Fabulous." Like he said, barking mad.

"Or maybe it was the hormones?" Hallie shrugged. "Eh, either way; it's Sirius' fault."

Right, how could he forget about that? He was going to be a cousin again in the next three months; that could certainly explain Lily's recent laissez faire attitude.

Hermione glanced over at him, and he nodded.

"Are you still you sure you want to do this, Hallie?" Hermione asked. It was a question they both already knew the answer to. But it had become a ritual of sorts between them. Maybe one day, Hallie would actually say no.

Hallie looked at Hermione straight in the eye. "Absolutely. There's a point to be made, Hermione. And whether the Ministry likes or not, it will be one to go down in the record books."

Hallie's confident grin told Draco she completely believed that. Times like these he was able to understand how he and Hermione ended up surviving all the crazy adventures Hallie put them through these past seven years. There was not a single sane bone in Hallie's body.

Suddenly Draco stilled, drawing Hermione's attention. "Draco? What's wrong?" she asked, but Draco momentarily ignored her in favor of glaring at the Gryffindor who had immediately adopted a deceptively innocent expression.

"Hallie?"

The devil smiled behind her coffee cup. "Yes, Draco?"

"I thought you said you had Diablo locked up in your room?"

There was a short pause as Hallie took another sip of coffee. "I might of."

Draco's glare narrowed. "Then what's currently slithering up my leg?"

Soft hisses accompanied Hallie as she laughed.

Stupid fake Gryffindor.

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AN: Please, if you all would be so kind, tell me what you guys think. Also, updates might be a bit sporadic (college takes up _a lot_ of your time) but I'll be trying my best to keep them close.

Next time: Minor time skip to the Minister's Ball, why it's important, and more on how the Harry Potter universe was manipulated by the author. HINT: Tom's a lot nicer! Sort of.


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